West Yorkshire County Council
West Yorkshire County Council — known as West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council — was the top-tier local government administrative body for West Yorkshire from 1974 to 1986. A strategic authority, with responsibilities for public transport, emergency services and waste disposal, it was composed of 88 members drawn from the five metropolitan boroughs of West Yorkshire. West Yorkshire County Council shared power with five lower-tier district councils, each of which directed local matters. Established with reference to the Local Government Act 1972, elections in 1973 brought about the county council's launch as a shadow authority, several months before West Yorkshire was created on 1 April 1974; the West Yorkshire County Council operated from County Hall, until it was abolished 31 March 1986, following the Local Government Act 1985. Its powers were passed to the five district councils of West Yorkshire: City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, Calderdale Council, Kirklees Council, Leeds City Council and Wakefield Metropolitan District Council.
Some powers of the county council were restored when the district councils delegated strategic responsibilities to the county-wide West Yorkshire Joint Services and joint boards. Its headquarters were County Hall in Wakefield; this was built in 1888 for West Riding County Council, which occupied it until its abolition in 1974. The building is now the home of Wakefield Metropolitan District Council; the council's 88 members were first elected on 12 April 1973, to take office on 1 April 1974. They were elected for four years, elections were held each four years thereafter; the Coat of arms of West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council was granted by letters patent in 1975. After the council was abolished in 1986, power was devolved to the five constituent district councils of Bradford, Kirklees and Wakefield; some council functions including archive services and Trading Standards continued to be provided jointly, through West Yorkshire Joint Services, the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive and West Yorkshire Police continue to operate across the county.
In 2012, plans to revive a top-tier administrative combined authority for West Yorkshire were revealed, with Peter McBride, cabinet member for housing and investment and councillor for Kirklees, stating "what we are recreating in effect is the West Yorkshire County Council in another form, which the government abolished in 1986 but has come to realise that you need a body of that size". The West Yorkshire Combined Authority was created in April 2014
West Yorkshire Joint Services
West Yorkshire Joint Services provides a range of public services to the five districts of West Yorkshire, England. It is jointly funded by the five district councils, pro rata to their population, is run by a committee of equal numbers of councillors from the five councils, it "brings together a number of key services which the five district councils of West Yorkshire recognise can be more delivered on a county-wide basis". When West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council was abolished in 1988, a "Joint Committee Arrangement" was established, to continue to provide archaeology and trading standards services for the five successor district councils. In 1997 the Joint Services were created. Joint Services comprises: West Yorkshire Archaeology Advisory Service Archaeological Services WYAS, a commercial organisation West Yorkshire Archive Service West Yorkshire Ecology West Yorkshire Materials Testing Service West Yorkshire Analytical Services West Yorkshire Trading Standards West Yorkshire Calibration Services The archive service operates at five locations: in Wakefield.
Official site
West Yorkshire Metro
Metro is the passenger information brand used by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority in England. It was formed on 1 April 1974 as the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive at the same time as the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire; the Metro brand has been used from the outset, since the formal abolition of the WYPTE on 1 April 2014, it has been the public facing name of the organisation. The transport authority of West Yorkshire, responsible for setting transport policy, is the West Yorkshire Combined Authority; the WYCA is responsible for delivery of transport policies. Metro is a public transport brand of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority which is, through its transport committee, the transport authority for West Yorkshire, it replaced the West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority on 1 April 2014. The West Yorkshire County Council was the transport authority from 1 April 1974 until 1 April 1986, it was replaced by the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority, made up of elected councillors from the districts of West Yorkshire.
The West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority was renamed the West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority following the Local Transport Act 2008. The Metro brand was adopted in 1988. Buses are operated by private companies, with early morning, late evening and rural services supported by Metro. There is a special rural bus section, which promotes a combination of minor local links and major long distance routes. On 1 April 1974, the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive was created by merging the municipal bus fleets of Bradford City Transport, Leeds City Transport, Huddersfield Joint Omnibus Committee and Halifax Joint Omnibus Committee, which earlier in the 1970s swallowed up Todmorden Joint Omnibus Committee; the operation was divided into four districts and a new livery of cream and verona green replaced the Bradford light blue & cream, Huddersfield red & cream, Leeds two-tone green and Halifax & Calderdale orange, green & cream. Created following the Local Government Act 1972, the Executive had to operate within the policy guidelines of the County Council Public Transport Committee, coordinating the operation of all public transport in the county.
The Executive inherited 1,500 buses along with 6,000 staff and the associated garages and street furniture. The Executive relinquished ownership of local buses following the Transport Act 1985, creating arms-length operating companies, it continued to coordinate public transport as the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority when the metropolitan county was abolished in 1986. New buses were purchased in large numbers at the outset. In 1976 Baddeley Brothers of Holmfirth was purchased providing the PTE with additional coaching and stage-carriage duties. In 1980 the Baddeley Brothers business was disposed of, although the Metrocoach operation was retained. In 1976 modifications were made to the livery. There were three stripes at the sides of the destination box, which wrapped round to the sides and swept down; this took time to apply, a trial was made with one thin line. In 1977 the lines were removed and the green area at the skirting of was raised up, so there was more green; the other change was the fleet name to MetroBus in 1976, removing the district names.
On 25 April 1977, the PTE acquired the old-established Kinsley based United Services from WR & P Bingley. As well as providing the PTE with more coaching operations, this took it into an area of West Yorkshire where it had had no presence. United Services was maintained as a separate subsidiary and retained its distinctive blue livery, whilst a new livery of red & ivory was adopted for the PTE's coaches, which operated under the "Metrocoach" banner, with brown added for "Metrocoach Executive". Bingley's depot received double-deckers transferred from the Leeds District. In early 1981 a reorganisation of operating districts was implemented with the East District becoming responsible for the Leeds depots and United Services, whilst the West District took control of Bradford, Halifax and Huddersfield. Three new Leyland National 2s were acquired in blue livery. In July 1981, MetroBus and the National Bus Company formed a new integrated transport system known as the "Metro-National Transport Company Limited".
All PTE and NBC buses began to appear with a new emblem, which consisted of the MetroBus WY's in one box and the NBC "double N" or "N-blem" appearing in another to the right of the PTE emblem, lower. The boxes were linked to show the integration, they appeared with MetroBus fleetnames with "The easy way from here to there in West Yorkshire". The new "Metrobus" fleetname being applied not only to PTE owned vehicles on which WYPTE lettering was carried beneath the fleet name, but buses of NBC subsidiaries West Yorkshire Road Car Company, West Riding Automobile Company, Yorkshire Woollen Transport Company and Yorkshire Traction, carrying "West Yorkshire", "West Riding", "Yorkshire" and "Yorkshire Traction" names below the Metrobus name; some years some of those buses were repainted into the PTEs verona cream and buttermilk livery so as to present a corporate image. From this date the "WY" logo on the front of buses was replaced by the "Metro-National" emblem in mid-1983, to celebrate 100 years of public transport in Huddersfield, MetroBus paint two vehicles in old liveries: Leyland Atlanteans carried Huddersfield Corporation red livery and Huddersfield Corporation Tramways livery.
They became "Building on a Great Tradition" vehicles and were in those liveries until the late 1990s. Deregulation occurred on 2
Mayor of Greater Manchester
The Mayor of Greater Manchester is a directly elected political post responsible for the strategic government of Greater Manchester, including health, housing, strategic planning, waste management, the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service and skills. The creation of the Mayor of Greater Manchester was agreed between the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, Greater Manchester's 10 district council leaders; as well as having specific powers, the Mayor chairs the Greater Manchester Combined Authority assuming the powers of the Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner. Tony Lloyd was appointed as Interim Mayor for Greater Manchester on 29 May 2015; the first election was won by Andy Burnham. The ten local authorities which make up Greater Manchester work together as the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, which carries out work through bodies including Transport for Greater Manchester and the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority. There is a directly elected Mayor of Salford for the City of Salford.
In 2008, Bury rejected a proposal for an elected mayor for the borough only. In 2012, Manchester rejected a similar proposal for the City of Manchester only. There is a Lord Mayor of Manchester, a ceremonial post; the proposal for an elected mayor was announced in November 2014 by George Osborne. The creation of an elected mayor for Greater Manchester required new primary legislation and the first election was announced to take place on Thursday 4 May 2017. On 29 May 2015, Lloyd was appointed as interim mayor by the combined authority leaders; the Labour Party candidate was confirmed as being Andy Burnham on 9 August 2016, fending off Ivan Lewis and Tony Lloyd to the position. The Liberal Democrats candidate was confirmed in September 2016 as Jane Brophy, a Trafford Borough councillor. In September, the Green Party announced that their candidate would be Deyika Nzeribe, however Nzeribe died as a result of a heart attack on New Year's Day 2017 and Will Patterson was chosen to replace him. In October 2016, the Conservative Party announced Sean Anstee, Leader of Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council would run as their candidate for mayor.
Unlike the directly elected London Assembly scrutiny structure that operates in Greater London, the Mayor of Greater Manchester would sit on the Greater Manchester Combined Authority alongside the ten council leaders as the eleventh member. The council leaders will form part of the mayor's cabinet, each with a clear portfolio of responsibilities; the mayor could be vetoed if a majority vote against any proposals put forward, the spatial planning strategy requires a unanimous vote of the mayor's cabinet. The existing scrutiny arrangement of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority will continue and will be extended to cover the mayor and the new areas of responsibility. Powers of the mayor announced include spatial planning, transport, waste management and skills. In addition to setting the policy direction of the GMCA a mayor will serve as an ambassador and public figurehead for the region; the mayor is responsible for the creation of a county wide spatial development strategy with adoption subject to unanimous approval of the Members of the GMCA.
The mayor is able to make compulsory purchase orders and establish a Mayoral Development Corporation for an area subject to the agreement of the members whose district the order/corporation covers. The mayor has not been granted the ability to call in local planning application decisions judged to be of strategic importance unlike some other combined authority mayors; the mayor oversees the administration of the £300m Greater Manchester Housing Investment Fund with the intention of delivering an additional 15,000 homes over a 10-year period. The mayor will jointly control the Greater Manchester Land Commission with the housing minister and other appropriate government ministers which will create a database of all public sector land and oversee its efficient use including disposal with the aim of contributing toward a target of 10,000 homes being built annually in the region; the role of Police and Crime Commissioner for Greater Manchester would be subsumed into the new mayoral post. Turnout in Greater Manchester for election in 2012 was just 14%.
The Commissioner produces police and crime plans with objectives on reducing specific types of crimes, distributing the £520 million police fund and has the power to appoint - and if viewed as appropriate, the power to dismiss - the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police. The mayor will takeover the role exercised by the Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Authority in setting budgets and taking strategic decisions; the mayor will be responsible for the administration of the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority, the largest waste disposal authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the waste of 2.4 million people and covering all districts except Wigan which has its own waste authority. The GMCA will have full control of the Apprenticeship and adult skills budget for the region from the 2018/19 academic year as well as a commitment to explore devolution of 16-19 education spending; the combined authority has the power to co-commission alongside the DWP the regions unemployment and back to work programmes.
As part of the 2016 UK Budget, it was announced that powers relating to criminal justice would be devolved to the Mayor as part of a drive to offer seamless interventions for offenders transitioning between prisons and the community and to join up public services that prevent crime. As part of this, there will be a new'Life Chances Investment Fund' which combines several streams of funding for troubled famili
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in England. It is the southernmost county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region and had a population of 1.34 million in 2011. It has an area of 1,552 square kilometres and consists of four metropolitan boroughs, Doncaster and Sheffield. South Yorkshire was created on 1 April 1974 as a result of the Local Government Act 1972, its largest settlement is Sheffield. Lying on the east side of the Pennines, South Yorkshire is landlocked, borders Derbyshire to the west and south-west, West Yorkshire to the north-west, North Yorkshire to the north, the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north-east, Lincolnshire to the east and Nottinghamshire to the south-east; the Sheffield Urban Area is the tenth most populous conurbation in the UK, dominates the western half of South Yorkshire with over half of the county's population living within it. South Yorkshire lies within the Sheffield City Region with Barnsley being within the Leeds City Region, reflecting its geographical position midway between Yorkshire's two largest cities.
South Yorkshire County Council was abolished in 1986 and its metropolitan boroughs are now unitary authorities, although the metropolitan county continues to exist in law. As a ceremonial county, South Yorkshire has a High Sheriff. South Yorkshire was created from 32 local government districts of the West Riding of Yorkshire, with small areas from Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. In the 2016 referendum on the United Kingdom's membership of the European Union, South Yorkshire voted 62% leave and 38% remain, making it one of the most Leave areas in the country. Although the modern county of South Yorkshire was not created until 1974, the history of its constituent settlements and parts goes back centuries. Prehistoric remains include a Mesolithic "house" dating to around 8000 BC, found at Deepcar, in the northern part of Sheffield. Evidence of earlier inhabitation in the wider region exists about 3 miles over the county boundary at Creswell Crags in Derbyshire, where artefacts and rock art found in caves have been dated by archaeologists to the late Upper Palaeolithic period, at least 12,800 years ago.
The region was on the frontier of the Roman Empire during the Roman period. The main settlements of South Yorkshire grew up around the industries of mining and steel manufacturing; the main mining industry was coal, concentrated to the north and east of the county. There were iron deposits which were mined in the area; the rivers running off the Pennines to the west of the county supported the steel industry, concentrated in the city of Sheffield. The proximity of the iron and coal made this an ideal place for steel manufacture. Although Christian nonconformism was never as strong in South Yorkshire as in the mill towns of West Yorkshire, there are still many Methodist and Baptist churches in the area. South Yorkshire has a high number of followers of spiritualism, it is the only county. The Local Government Commission for England presented draft recommendations, in December 1965, proposing a new county—York and North Midlands—roughly centred on the southern part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and northern parts of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.
The review was abolished in favour of the Royal Commission on Local Government before it was able to issue a final report. The Royal Commission's 1969 report, known as the Redcliffe-Maud Report, proposed the removal of much of the existing system of local government; the commission described the system of administering urban and rural districts separately as outdated, noting that urban areas provided employment and services for rural dwellers, open countryside was used by town dwellers for recreation. Redcliffe-Maud's recommendations were accepted by the Labour government in February 1970. Although the Redcliffe-Maud Report was rejected by the Conservative government after the 1970 general election, there was a commitment to local government reform, the need for a metropolitan county of South Yorkshire; the Local Government Act 1972 reformed local government in England by creating a system of two-tier metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties and districts throughout the country. The act formally established South Yorkshire on 1 April 1974, although South Yorkshire County Council had been running since elections in 1973.
The leading article in The Times on the day the Local Government Act came into effect noted that the "new arrangement is a compromise which seeks to reconcile familiar geography which commands a certain amount of affection and loyalty, with the scale of operations on which modern planning methods can work effectively". South Yorkshire had a two tier structure of local government with a strategic-level county council and four districts providing most services. In 1974, as part of the South Yorkshire Structure Plan of the environment and land use, South Yorkshire County Council commissioned a public attitudes survey covering job opportunities, educational facilities, leisure opportunities and medical services, shopping centres and transport in the county. In 1986, throughout England the metropolitan county councils were abolished; the functions of the county council were devolved to the boroughs. The joint boards continue to include the South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive; the South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner oversees South Yorkshire Police.
Although the county council was abolished, Sou
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in England. It is an inland and in relative terms upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in moors of the Pennines and has a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. West Yorkshire consists of five metropolitan boroughs and is bordered by the counties of Derbyshire to the south, Greater Manchester to the south-west, Lancashire to the north-west, North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire to the south and south-east. Remnants of strong coal and iron ore industries remain in the county, having attracted people over the centuries, this can be seen in the buildings and architecture. Leeds may become a terminus for a north-east limb of High Speed 2. Major railways and two major motorways traverse the county, which contains Leeds Bradford International Airport. West Yorkshire County Council was abolished in 1986 so its five districts became unitary authorities.
However, the metropolitan county, which covers an area of 2,029 square kilometres, continues to exist in law, as a geographic frame of reference. Since 1 April 2014 West Yorkshire has been a combined authority area, with the local authorities pooling together some functions over transport and regeneration as the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. West Yorkshire includes the West Yorkshire Urban Area, the biggest and most built-up urban area within the historic county boundaries of Yorkshire. West Yorkshire was formed as a metropolitan county in 1974, by the Local Government Act 1972, corresponds to the core of the historic West Riding of Yorkshire and the county boroughs of Bradford, Halifax, Huddersfield and Wakefield. West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council inherited the use of West Riding County Hall at Wakefield, opened in 1898, from the West Riding County Council in 1974. Since 1987 it has been the headquarters of Wakefield City Council; the county had a two-tier structure of local government with a strategic-level county council and five districts providing most services.
In 1986, throughout England the metropolitan county councils were abolished. The functions of the county council were devolved to the boroughs. Organisations such as the West Yorkshire Metro continue to operate on this basis. Although the county council was abolished, West Yorkshire continues to form a metropolitan and ceremonial county with a Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire and a High Sheriff. Wakefield's Parish Church was raised to cathedral status in 1888 and after the elevation of Wakefield to diocese, Wakefield Council sought city status and this was granted in July 1888; however the industrial revolution, which changed West and South Yorkshire led to the growth of Leeds and Bradford, which became the area's two largest cities. Leeds was granted city status in 1893 and Bradford in 1897; the name of Leeds Town Hall reflects the fact that at its opening in 1858 Leeds was not yet a city, while Bradford renamed its Town Hall as City Hall in 1965. The county borders, going anticlockwise from the west: Lancashire, Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire and North Yorkshire.
It lies entirely on rocks of carboniferous age which form the southern Pennine fringes in the west and the Yorkshire coalfield further eastwards. In the extreme east of the metropolitan county there are younger deposits of magnesian limestone; the Bradford and Calderdale areas are dominated by the scenery of the eastern slopes of the Pennines, dropping from upland in the west down to the east, dissected by many steep-sided valleys. Large-scale industry, housing and commercial buildings of differing heights, transport routes and open countryside conjoin; the dense network of roads and railways and urban development, confined by valleys creates dramatic interplay of views between settlements and the surrounding hillsides, as shaped the first urban-rural juxtapositions of David Hockney. Where most rural the land crops up in the such rhymes and folklore as On Ilkley Moor Bah'Tat, date unknown, the early 19th century novels and poems of the Brontë family in and around Haworth and long-running light comedy-drama Last of the Summer Wine in the 20th century.
The carboniferous rocks of the Yorkshire coalfield further east have produced a rolling landscape with hills and broad valleys. In this landscape there is widespread evidence of former industrial activity. There are numerous derelict or converted mine buildings and landscaped former spoil heaps; the scenery is a mixture of built up areas, industrial land with some dereliction, farmed open country. Ribbon developments along transport routes including canal and rail are prominent features of the area although some remnants of the pre industrial landscape and semi-natural vegetation still survive. However, many areas are affected by urban fringe pressures creating fragmented and downgraded landscapes and present are urban influences from major cities, smaller industrial towns and former mining villages. In the magnesian limestone belt to the east of the Leeds and Wakefield areas is an elevated ridge with smoothly rolling scenery, dissected by dry valleys. Here, there is a large number of country houses and estates with parkland, estate woodlands and game coverts.
The rivers Aire and Calder drain the area, flowing from west to east. The table below outlines many of the co
Wakefield Council
Wakefield Council known as Wakefield Metropolitan District Council is the local authority of the City of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England. It is a metropolitan district council and provides a full range of local government services including Council Tax billing, social services, processing planning applications, waste collection and disposal, it is a local education authority. Wakefield is divided into 21 wards. A third of the council is elected for three of every four years; the council was created by the Local Government Act 1972 and replaced the Wakefield City Council of the County Borough of Wakefield and several other authorities. Since 1974 Wakefield has held borough and city status and from this time would use the full title of the authority on all publications, council vehicle fleet and documents, however from around 2005, like many other local authorities doing so at the time, the authority dropped the full title for the shorter Wakefield Council; as of February 2013 the council is controlled by the Labour Party.
The council leader has been Councillor Peter Box since 1998 and Merran McRae is the chief executive. Since April 2014 Wakefield Council is a constituent council of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority with Council Leader Peter Box being elected the chairman of the combined authority; the council was formed by the Local Government Act 1972 as the Wakefield Metropolitan District Council. It replaced the existing Wakefield City Council, the local authority of the County Borough of Wakefield, it replaced Castleford Borough Council, Ossett Borough Council, Pontefract Borough Council, Featherstone Urban District Council, Hemsworth Urban District Council, Horbury Urban District Council, Knottingley Urban District Council, Normanton Urban District Council, Stanley Urban District Council, Wakefield Rural District Council, Hemsworth Rural District Council and Osgoldcross Rural District Council. The current local authority was first elected in 1973, a year before formally coming into its powers and prior to the creation of the Metropolitan District of Wakefield on 1 April 1974.
The council gained city status and to annually appoint a Mayor of Wakefield. It was envisaged through the Local Government Act 1972 that Wakefield as a metropolitan local authority would share power with the West Yorkshire County Council; the split of powers and functions meant that the West Yorkshire County Council was responsible for "wide area" services such as fire and waste disposal with the district authorities responsible for "personal" services such as social care, libraries and refuse collection. This arrangement lasted until 1986 when Wakefield Metropolitan District Council gained responsibility for some services, provided by the West Yorkshire County Council; the Local Government Act 1985 directed the councils of West Yorkshire to form joint arrangements in order to deliver these functions. The local authority derives its powers and functions from the Local Government Act 1972 and subsequent legislation. For the purposes of local government, Wakefield is within a metropolitan area of England.
As a metropolitan district council, Wakefield Metropolitan District Council provides most local government functions directly. It is a billing authority collecting Council Tax and business rates, it processes local planning applications, it is responsible for housing, waste collection and environmental health, it is a local education authority, responsible for social services and waste disposal. Certain services are provided with the other local authorities in West Yorkshire; the council is represented on West Yorkshire Joint Services Committee, West Yorkshire Fire and Civil Defence Authority, West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority and the West Yorkshire Police and Crime Panel. Wakefield Council has been a constituent member of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority since 2014; the leader of Wakefield council was elected chairman of the WYCA. In 2004 the district's extensive council housing was transferred to Wakefield and District Housing, a new independent housing association. Council houses account for around 30% of the districts housing.
Wakefield Metropolitan District Council is the billing authority for Council Tax, collects a precepts on behalf of the West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner and the West Yorkshire Fire and Civil Defence Authority. One third of the council is elected in three of every four years, followed by one year without elections. For the purpose of electing councillors, Wakefield is divided into 21 wards; the current council composition is Conservatives 11 following the 2018 local elections. Combined vote share of wards from the 2018 United Kingdom local elections. LAB = Labour, CON = Conservative, LD = Liberal Democrat, G = Green, U = UKIP, OTH = Others Wakefield Council Labour Party in Wakefield Conservative Party in Wakefield UK Independence Party in Wakefield Liberal Democrats in Wakefield Green Party of England & Wales in Wakefield
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